Manufacturing plants utilize numerous conveyor systems for transporting materials and supplies, and partially or finished product, to various working or assembly stations. At present, conveyor systems known as over-and-under types are commonly used for feeding supplies to a working station. In one such known arrangement, supplies either in cartons or on pallets are fed in a conventional manner along an upper gravity-type roller conveyor onto a carton or pallet handler which defines the lower endmost section of the conveyor. This container handler includes a section of rollers for supporting the container and, at its lower inclined end, a stop flange for abutment with the container. When in this position, the operator is then able to unload the goods contained in the container or stored on the pallet. However, during this unloading operation, particularly after the container has been partially unloaded, the operator must bend considerably in order to reach the goods stored in the bottom of the container, and hence this type of operation has been observed to cause an increasing amount of back problems for the operator. After the container has been totally unloaded (or conversely totally loaded), then the handler is tilted downwardly to be aligned with a lower conveyor section disposed below the upper section, which lower section then feeds the container away from the operator station, following which the handler is returned upwardly for alignment with the upper section to receive the next container.
The present invention relates to a container handler which is particularly desirable for use in an over-and-under conveyor system of known type, but which container handler possesses multiple motions so as to permit the operator end of the handler to readily adjust in elevation to greatly facilitate loading and unloading of the container to thus minimize the required bending of the operator, and which also thereafter facilitates the movement of the container off of the handler onto the lower conveyor section.
In the improved container handler of the present invention, there is provided an upright frame on which is supported a roll-type conveyor section for supporting a container, which conveyor section at its forward or operator end terminates in an abutment or stop against which the container bears. The operator end of the handler conveyor section is supported on vertical guides, and a first vertical actuator coacts therewith for permitting the operator end to be vertically raised and lowered to any desired elevation to facilitate the operator's access to the container. A second vertical actuator cooperates with the handler conveyor section adjacent the other or rearward end thereof so that the rearward end can be vertically displaced between an upper position wherein it aligns with an upper supply conveyor, and a lower position wherein it aligns with a lower return conveyor.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with systems of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.